Fleta Mujaj is a child rights activist and volunteer for the ROR group. She is 18 years old, comes from Peja and studies at the University of Prishtina, at the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

For several years now, I have invested a large part of my time in volunteer work through youth groups and organizations, addressing the issue of human rights protection, with a particular focus on the field of human rights protection. children.

“Working with ROR is part of my daily routine and in addition to making me feel good, it also has a positive effect on society. “It’s not the same. Through the activities and goals achieved by our group, I have continuously accumulated different experiences and skills that are now part of me.”

I consider the leadership of ROR as one of the most fulfilling experiences. Truly an honor and privilege, and at the same time a great responsibility. Especially during the last year when every activity was carried out in new conditions, in pandemic times. A time to test our organizational and collaborative strength, our flexibility at work and our insistence on success.
When the form of work changed radically, the realization of goals, events and activities often did not coincide with the intended success. This highlighted even more the creativity of the group for organizing new activities in a virtual form, trying to create something interesting for the children of Kosovo. Although in unusual circumstances, our members initiated as well as were invited to various local, central and international events.

Since we work in the interest of the children of Kosovo, initiating or participating in fruitful events is very important to us. Therefore, in every space we have, we reflect the achievements and collect new concepts and ideas to enrich the work plan and our ways of action..

One of the activities of special importance for us as a group and for the country is the participation of ROR in the conference organized by the office of the United Nations in Geneva, to mark the 30th anniversary of ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child . The event started on November 18, 2019 and lasted a total of three days. Discussion roundtables, workshops and various activities for the promotion and protection of children’s rights took place in parallel in different halls of the building. The active participation of young people in decision-making, violence, work and ill-treatment of persons under the age of 18, were some of the topics that were addressed in more detail.

Countries from all over the world, presented by officials and child activists in the field of protection of children’s rights, through various discussion panels, addressed their problems to the leaders of the respective states. Leaders of these states and various internationally influential organizations pledged to implement the convention and promised their focus on improving issues of concern to young people.

On the first day of the conference, in the hall “The Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room” was held a panel discussion on the topic “Active participation of children in decision-making processes.” Along with UN officials and young people from around the world who lobby for the protection of children’s rights, I was also invited as a representative of the children of Kosovo. During this panel, among others, were discussed the changes made in Kosovo in recent years, regarding the implementation of the CRC and the welfare of children in general.

During the event I took the opportunity to meet young people from all over the world, with most of whom we share the same passion and often do the same job, in completely different circumstances. Due to the distance, we still meet virtually to mark specific dates and to discuss various initiatives. In addition to the young activists, I met with officials from various departments of the United Nations office in Geneva, as well as representatives of major international organizations, with whom we spoke extensively on youth issues and opportunities for cooperation between promoters of children’s rights. in all the world. This was also a form of reflection of the work we have done for several years now, as well as space to accumulate ideas for access to areas in which we have not worked hard enough or need to start working.

Collaborations between activists and organizations participating in this event, continue in various forms, constantly. To mark the 31st anniversary of the CRC approval, due to pandemic safety, Save the Children conducted a webinar with participants from around the world. Here we were also invited as participants in the event held a year ago. I gladly accepted the invitation to lead part of this webinar, specifically the discussion between children from around the world with Save the Children International Executive Director Inger Ashing.

In this session, the child activists demanded accountability from Save the Children for the realization of the commitments promised a year earlier, as well as expressing their concerns on various issues that concern the youth of their countries, such as education, health, work at a young age, etc. Of course, such collaborations for marking dates with fruitful events are expected to take place in the coming years.

Participating in lobbying activities for human rights in general, and for children’s rights in particular, is always a good and necessary experience. A country like Kosovo, where young people represent the majority of the population, needs new ideas and approaches in various fields. Activism, not only in the field of protection of children’s rights, but in any movement that brings good to the community, is necessary in the process of building itself. When working with people who share the same passions and goals, in addition to socialism, one also gets rich professionally. Through the process of identifying a problem in society, of finding a solution, a person learns, among other things, about himself and the skills he possesses

“How we act, what interests us and how we approach the world around us, make us different and special. Therefore, investing time and energy in something that makes you feel good and at the same time helps others around you, is a feeling that every one of us should possess, especially young people, who are still in the process of finding or building themselves . ”